Shield
, a typical Shield]] Basics Shields are items that can be equipped in a character's left hand (sometimes called the "offhand") to increase his or her armor level (AL). This AL is applied regardless of hit location or direction the character is facing. The maximum base AL for a shield is 16. Any profession can equip shields, but most shields have requirements for a minimum rank in the warrior's Tactics or Strength attributes. Without meeting that requirement, the AL used is half of the normal AL value. The skills Shield Stance and Shield Bash depend on a shield being equipped to trigger their effects (although they can be activated without wielding a shield). Modifiers There are four main types of modifiers for shields: damage reduction, health bonuses, AL bonuses, and +1 attribute. A shield may have up to two modifiers. There are no upgrade components for shields; nor may shield modifiers be salvaged. The available shield modifiers are listed in full in a separate article. Damage reduction Shields may have a received damage -''x'' modifer, which reduces physical damage taken. These always have specific preconditions, such as being enchanted. A shield can have up to -2 (while in a stance), -2 (while enchanted), -3 (while hexed), or -5 (up to 20% chance). There can be a maximum of two damage reduction modifiers (always with different conditions). Health Shields may have a health +''x'' modifier. These modifiers can be conditional, like the damage reduction modifiers, or unconditional. The maximum values are +45 (while in a Stance), +45 (while enchanted), +60 (while hexed), or +30 unconditional. There can be a maximum of one health modifier. AL Shields may have conditional AL bonuses. The maximum such bonus is +10 against a specific damage type or monster type. A shield may have at most one AL modifier. Gold shields with 8-16 base AL will give 8 AL to characters that do not meet the requirement. Green, PvP, and collector shields instead only give 5* AL in those circumstances. *Tested June 2006 +1 attribute Shields may have a +1 attribute modifier. It has up to a 20% chance while using skills. The possible attributes that can have a +1 modifier on shields are most attributes of casters, Tactics, and Strength. A shield may have at most one +1 attribute modifier. Warrior Shield types The following types of Warrior shields can be found in Guild Wars: #Wooden Bucklers with a Strength requirement are only available from Canthan Collectors, all other Wooden Bucklers have Tactics requirements. See also Category:Shields. Note: unlike weapons such as Bows - the shield type has no influence on the stats of the shield, apart from the required attribute. Which visual appearance you prefer is merely a matter of taste: a Crude Shield with AL +12 is just as good as an Eternal Shield with AL +12. That said, certain shield types are more likely to come with higher AL; for example, a Shield of the Wing is usually AL +8 or higher and will require Tactics, and Eternal Shields nearly always have AL +15 or 16 and require Strength. Paragon shield types Paragons also use shields. They have the same maximum armor value and bonuses as Warrior PvP shields, and can be tied to the Command and Motivation attributes. External Links Some nice images of shields can be found here and here. Related Skills These skills require shields to trigger: * Shield Bash, Shield Stance Category:Weapons